Gig Review: Escape The Fate @ Manning Bar Sydney 1st June 2018

ESCAPE THE FATE are back in Australia to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their highly praised ‘This War Is Ours’ album with ‘THIS WAR IS OURS’ tour. Touring with them are Brisbane’s AWAKEN I AM and post-alternative rock outfit BETWEEN KINGS.

Awaken I Am are a band I greatly appreciate, their album Blind Love, released last year received widespread critical acclaim. With a genre-breaking sound, they have impressed me and others all over with their killer live shows during the past year. Tonight was no exception with the band having to get up and go on without guitarist Connor Oakley who only weeks ago passed away from a tragic accident. With Connors parents’ blessing, they have a long-time friend of Connor filling in and they ask tonight we celebrate what Connor loved. Those of us that knew the words sang along to Dissolution, the vibe in the room called for a celebration and these guys have vowed to go on, so get to the shows and show your support.

Judging from the near-capacity crowd tonight, it is clear Escape the Fate are much loved by their Australian fans. The Manning Bar is packed, all these sexy Sydney siders are here and ready to rock. Nothing signals the start of a great night more than a pre-show sing along to Queen and that’s exactly how things began tonight. As the backing track plays, we all gather in tight and sing Bohemian Rhapsody and at the songs end a chant breaks out, Escape the Fate! Escape the Fate! Then out of the darkness a drum begins to pound, its sound sitting in our chest and then the screaming begins with We Won’t Back Down.

From the onset of the show frontman Craig had the crowd in the palm of his hand immediately as we would sing along in full voice to every song. You know the songs that got the biggest moments Ashely, This War Is Ours and 10 MilesWide. Guitarist’s TJ and Thrasher had plenty of swagger to them as they showed off their guitar skills in quite a few kick-ass solos, with the album set finishing on It’s Just Me the crowd chanted for more. The band walk back out and so begins a mini-greatest-hits set beginning with Do You Love Me and then we got a touching moment with I Am Human. The house lights were killed and our lighters and phones came out and we lit up the place. The set was meant to be finishing on One for The Money but the band had one more surprise up their sleeve and gave us their cover of My ChemicalRomances’Dead. After the final track was played the house lights came on and we stayed and sang more Queen.

Tonight, ESCAPE THE FATE shined with each song firing like a cannon of pure rock genius, the crowd didn’t stop moving all night and the band themselves didn’t want to stop. They immediately came down after the show to greet the fans who clearly appreciated one hell of a night of chaotic mischief, mayhem and music.

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